CWC 19: Here's why India will miss Shikhar Dhawan badly
Indian cricket team opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan is set to be out for three weeks due to a fractured thumb. The southpaw suffered the injury against Australia in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019. The star batsman has been an important asset for India in ODI cricket ever since the 2013 Champions Trophy. Here we analyze why India will miss him badly.
Dhawan has dominated the scenario in ICC tournaments
When it comes to ICC tournaments, Dhawan dominates the proceedings from the word go. In 10 ICC World Cup matches, Dhawan has scored 537 runs at 53.70. He has three World Cup hundreds. And in the ICC Champions Trophy, he has an astounding 701 runs in 10 matches at 77.88. He has amassed three hundreds. This proves his importance for India in global tourneys.
Dhawan has been consistent in ODIs since a while now
Dhawan, who scored a match-winning 117 against Australia, has been scoring immensely in ODIs since a while now. The southpaw was India's third highest run-scorer in 2018 (897). Prior to that, he scored 960 runs in 2017. He amassed six hundreds in these two years. Dhawan has already gone past 500 runs in 2019 that includes two centuries. This highlights his consistency in ODIs.
Dhawan's understanding with Rohit is terrific
Dhawan's understanding with Rohit Sharma atop has been a leading factor for India's success in ODIs. These two have laid the foundation for India on numerous occasions. Not having these two open the innings in India's upcoming games will take away that edge. They have 4,726 ODIs runs as a pair and on Sunday they hit a 16th century-plus stand.
Dhawan is a trusted figure in this Indian team
Dhawan is one of the senior cricketers in this Indian side. The management has immense respect and trust in his abilities. He has been in the scene for a long time now and gets those important runs in matches when Sharma and Virat Kohli have a bad day. That's why India are keen to wait before announcing his replacement.
The present situation for India in CWC 19
KL Rahul is set to open the batting alongside Rohit in the next few games for India. He will have a big role to play. Meanwhile, India have called up Rishabh Pant as Dhawan's cover. It remains to be seen how things shape up.
